1. Technical Field
This invention relates to combined doorbell and smoke detector devices and, more particularly, to a combined doorbell and smoke detector device for alerting a homeowner when a guest has arrived and further when a dangerous level of smoke is present within a building structure.
2. Prior Art
It is a well known fact that most home owners are constantly striving to improve the aesthetic appeal of their homes, while also trying to make the residence as safe as possible. An important advance in the realm of home safety has been the introduction of smoke detectors. Such devices are usually positioned at strategic locations along the ceiling of a residence with a smoke sensor that is constantly exposed to the air. When such a sensor detects a threshold level of smoke particles in the air a loud alarm is activated for alerting persons in or around the house that such a threshold level of smoke has been breached.
Although a homeowner may know that such smoke detectors are invaluable to maintaining a safe residence, the placement of the sensor housings along the ceiling may appear unaesthetic to some individuals. This is especially true of instances where the color of the sensor housing does not closely or exactly match the color of the ceiling. Another device that is found in every home is the doorbell chime. Usually more than one chime is positioned throughout the home in strategic locations, as is the case with smoke detectors. The doorbell chime housing can either be placed along a wall or along the ceiling of a room, just like a smoke sensor housing. When a doorbell chime and smoke detector housing are located in the same room, two points of visual distraction are created that may draw away from other design features of the room. It is thus obviously beneficial to find a way to reduce the aesthetic interference created by multiple doorbell chime and smoke detector housings.
Accordingly, a need remains for a combined doorbell and smoke detector device in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a combined doorbell and smoke detector that is easy to install, small and aesthetically appealing, and maintains the safety standards required of present day building codes. Such a device provides a loud, audible alarm in the event of a fire being detected in its immediate vicinity. The doorbell functions as a traditional doorbell device would. By combining both devices in a common housing a considerable amount of time is saved during installation procedures. The device also provides a neater and more attractive look in any room or hallway of a house.